"The Earth Is the Lord’s: Reframing the Immigration Conversation"

What comes to mind when you hear the word immigration or immigrant? 

It’s a word that stirs up strong reactions around the world. In the U.S., especially near our southern border, it’s often followed by the word crisis. It’s been politicized, weaponized, and debated more in the past decade than ever before. But for me, the first time I heard the word “immigrant,” it didn’t come from the news or a headline. It came from a cartoon mouse named Fievel. 

Fievel: An American Tail

I was eight years old when my parents took me to see An American Tail—the story of a small mouse and his family immigrating to the United States, a place they believed was filled with cheese and free of cats. It was my first exposure to the idea that people actually leave their homes in search of something better. As much as a kid from Arkansas could understand, I rooted for Fievel to find a better life. 

That following year, I saw Rocky IV. A very different story—but one that also shaped my view of the world. The U.S. versus Russia. Strength versus strength. But at the end, something shifted. After defeating Ivan Drago, Rocky stood in a Russian boxing ring and, in my nine-year-old words, “started preaching love to the crowd.” That stuck with me. 

Rocky the true underdog story.

I share those moments because we all have lenses through which we view the world. The lens of childhood. The lens of culture. The lens of experience. And now, decades later, I read Psalm 89 and it offers a different kind of lens: “The heavens are Yours; the earth also is Yours; the world and all it contains, You have founded them. The north and the south, You have created them.” —Psalm 89:11 

It reminds me: the Earth belongs to the Lord. All of it. The borders, the people, the systems, the brokenness—and the hope. Yes, we have national borders. Yes, governments have processes, like Nehemiah needing letters of permission to pass through foreign lands. But as Christians, our lens must be higher. Kingdom first. 

If I view immigration through a purely political or worldly lens, then I’m not reflecting the image of God—I’m reflecting the image of the world. And we are called to be imagers of God. We’re called to reflect heaven in every issue we face—local, national, or global. 

Psalm 89:14 continues: 

“Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; lovingkindness and truth go before You.” 

If righteousness and justice are the foundation of His rule, they must be the foundation of ours—in thought, speech, and response. We can’t afford to respond to broken systems with broken perspectives. We must ask the Father: What is Your solution? 

I believe we’re in a Nehemiah moment. When Nehemiah saw the ruined gates of Jerusalem, he wept. But he didn’t just mourn—he sought God, received a plan, and went to work. He didn’t rebuild out of anger; he rebuilt out of obedience. 

Churches call to action

There are broken gates today—both spiritually and structurally. And I believe it’s the Church’s time to rise with Kingdom clarity and prophetic insight. 

The immigration issue isn’t going away. But maybe the Church is being invited into the solution—not through policies and parties, but through prayer, presence, and prophetic wisdom. 

The prophetic isn’t about foretelling—it’s about forth-telling. It’s a living word, from a living God, for a living people. He still speaks. And He’s speaking now. 

We can’t afford to stand on the sidelines, shaking our heads at the news or waiting for someone else to fix what’s broken. The Church must rise—not with slogans, but with strategy. Not with blame, but with boldness. This is a Nehemiah moment. The gates are broken. Will we step in to rebuild? 

Let’s ask the Father for Kingdom solutions. Let’s listen for His voice, move in His timing, and act in His love. 

If you're stirred, don't stay silent. Pray. Speak up. Serve. Give. Open your heart and hands.  There’s a seat at the table for you—to reflect the Kingdom and be part of God’s solution in this generation. We can no longer let our thoughts around this immigration crisis be more influenced by our political party, rather than our Kingdom Identity.